Daddy-Daughter Storytime (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Steve and Angie spend some daddy/daughter time at the library.


**Notes: **Thanks to Mari and Sammy for the squeal-inducing feedback. You're the best!

Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing support! It is always appreciated.

As of Monday, we have posted **1,000 REAL World stories! ** That doesn't include all the multi-part stories we've also posted over the years which puts the chapter total even higher. That's a number we never even thought about when we started the REAL World in 2014. We wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the milestone and thank you all for being a part of it!

**Hope you enjoy REAL World story #1,001!**

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_Daddy/Daughter Storytime (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"Bubbos!" Angie squealed as soon as she stepped into the program room at the library. She tugged on Steve's hand. "Bubbos, Daddy! I get dem!"

"Okay, go get 'em," he said, chuckling and releasing her hand. She ran straight for the colorful carpet in the middle of the room where half a dozen two- to three-year-olds stood reaching to pop the bubbles floating down towards them.

Catherine had a meeting that morning, but Steve had been able to get away from HQ for a bit to meet Esther and Angie at the library. Esther had passed the storytime duties to him and was enjoying a seat in the library's café with an iced tea and the latest revisions of her novel.

"Hi, Angie!" Miss Kristin, the librarian, greeted in between blows on the bubble wand.

"Hi!" Angie replied. "Mo' bubbos!"

"Here they come!" Kristin blew another stream of bubbles to the delight of the children on the carpet as well as the shyer few who were hanging around the periphery with their caregivers.

Angie giggled delightedly as she reached up and two of the bubbles popped against her hands. She looked around for her father to make sure he'd seen. "Daddy, I get bubbos!"

He smiled from the side of the carpet, a small bag over his shoulder that Esther had handed off to him. "I see." He nodded above her head. "Look up. There's some more."

Angie tipped her head back and her smile grew at the sight of even more bubbles above her. She blinked, momentarily surprised, when one popped right on her forehead, then laughed, touching the spot on her skin where it had hit.

After a few more minutes of bubbles, Kristin put away the tube and wand, nodding to her volunteer who closed the door to prevent escapes.

"Okay, let's get started everyone," she said with a welcoming style. "Find your seats."

Steve settled onto the carpet with most of the other caregivers and children, but Angie made a beeline for the semi-circle of chairs just behind him. With a grunt, she pulled herself onto a chair, smiling proudly once she'd righted herself on the seat.

"You don't wanna sit on the carpet with me?" Steve asked. He laughed when she shook her head. "Okay, then." She started to stand but he shook his head, reaching for her. "Uh uh. If you're gonna be in the chair, you gotta sit."

Angie made a face, but did sit back down. Her frown immediately disappeared as Kristin began to sing the very familiar opening song.

"_Welcome, welcome, everyone_," the librarian sang to the tune of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' "_Let's reach up and touch the sun_."

Some of the kids needed coaxing to raise their arms above their heads, but Angie's had shot into the air as soon as the song began.

"_Now let's watch the rain fall down, gently gently to the–_"

"_Groun'!"_ Angie sang out off-key as she reached over the edge of the chair toward the floor.

"_Roll yourself into a ball …_"

Angie wrapped her arms around herself in a hug, then realized the best part of the song was coming and she would need to be down by Steve. She turned and slid out of the chair on her tummy and darted around in front of him, holding her arms out and bouncing in anticipation.

"_One, two, three, let's JUMP up tall!_"

Angie squealed delightedly as Steve lifted her above his head. Several of the other children were also lifted, while others jumped in place copying Miss Kristin.

"Good job!" the librarian said, clapping. "Let's try that again!"

After another round of the song, Angie returned to her chair and pulled herself up while Kristin started the next song.

"_This is the way we clap our hands, clap our hands, clap our hands. This is the way we clap our hands, early in the morning._"

Angie was a little late to the clapping as it took her several seconds to get into the adult-sized chair, but she gleefully lifted one foot and then the other for the next verse.

"_This is the way we tap our toes …_"

Kristin led them through a couple more familiar songs before taking a book off her tabletop easel. "Here's our first book today," she said, holding up the brightly colored cover. "_Will Bear Share?_" She grinned, opening the first page. "Let's find out."

As she began to read, Angie slid off her chair again and walked around the seated participants to stand in front of Kristin's chair. She reached up to try and touch the illustrations that were just out of reach.

"Beaw," Angie said.

Kristin smiled, not missing a beat. "Yes, that's Bear and her friends."

"Angie, c'mere," Steve coaxed, motioning her to step back. She ran back toward him and put a hand on his shoulder, pointing with the other.

"Beaw, Daddy."

"Yeah, let's listen," he said, pulling her into his lap.

She was content to stay there for a moment, but pushed herself up and went back to stand closer to the book. This time she was joined by another little girl, and the two followed the book from side to side as Kristin moved it to show the illustrations to everyone sitting on the carpet and in the chairs.

"Angie," Steve tried again, but she was so transfixed by the book she didn't hear him.

"Ouse cweam!" Angie said excitedly, pointing to the illustration.

" 'Will Bear share her ice cream?' " Kristin read. " 'Uh oh,' " she continued when Bear's ice cream fell to the ground.

"Uh oh!" Angie echoed. She looked back to make sure Steve had seen it. "Uh oh, Daddy."

"Uh oh," he said, motioning for her to come to sit with him again. She turned back to the book instead.

"What will Bear do now?" Kristin asked. She turned the page to show his friend Ladybug with a giant berry cake. "Ohh, look at this yummy cake."

"Nummy," Angie said.

Kristin smiled. "Do you think Ladybug will share?" she asked the group. A few children were wandering the room as toddlers often do, while others had remained on the carpet. "Yes!" Kristin said, turning the page to show all the animal friends enjoying the cake together. "Bear did a great job sharing," she said, putting the book back on the table. "And speaking of bears and sharing, how about we practice a little sharing with my teddy bear." She lifted a stuffed bear and gave it a little hug, then she bent down to pass it to Angie who was closet. "Do you want to give the teddy bear a hug, Angie?"

Angie squeezed the stuffed bear tightly. "Hug beaw," she said, smiling.

"Okay, now can you share with Amelia?" Kristin asked, gesturing to the girl beside her.

Angie looked at Amelia, then at the bear, clearly torn.

"Go on, Angie," Steve encouraged gently.

Angie handed the bear over, beaming when Kristin and the other adults applauded her sharing. She ran toward Steve, launching herself at him in an enthusiastic hug.

"That's my girl," he said, kissing her cheek.

The bear made his way around the circle of children. Kristin and the other adults in the room encouraged each child to share and cheered for them when they did, some more readily than others.

"And now how about a teddy bear rhyme?" Kristin asked after everyone who wanted to had had a chance to hug and share the stuffed bear. She placed it back on the table and turned to face the group. "Here we go," she said and began the classic rhyme. "_Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around. Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground._"

Many of the adults and some of the children knew the rhyme and followed along, doing the motions that matched the words. Angie watched, her face serious, and tried to copy the librarian as best she could.

"_Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your nose. Teddy bear, teddy bear, dance on your toes. Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your head. Teddy bear, teddy bear, go to bed._" Kristin put her hands together and leaned her cheek on them as if asleep. "_Teddy bear, teddy bear, wake up now. Teddy bear, teddy bear, take your bow!_" she finished with a flourish.

Angie clapped, smiling broadly. "Mo' 'gain!" she entreated.

Kristin grinned, managing to translate. "Yes! Let's do it again. _Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around. Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground."_

"Daddy do beaw," Angie insisted, patting his arm.

"You got this, Angie, go ahead," he said, gesturing toward Kristin for Angie to follow along.

"P'ease Daddy do beaw?" she tried again, her eyes widening with hope.

He sighed, smiling, unable to resist her, and stood up.

Angie clapped excitedly as he started doing the motions as well while Kristin and some of the other adults chanted the rest of the rhyme.

"_Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your nose. Teddy bear, teddy bear, dance on your toes. Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your head. Teddy bear, teddy bear, go to bed._ _Teddy bear, teddy bear, wake up now. Teddy bear, teddy bear, take your bow!_"

"Yay!" Angie clapped, then hugged his leg.

"I think Angie's found a new favorite rhyme," Kristin said with a wink.

Steve scooped Angie up and kissed her cheek, beaming at his daughter's bright smile. "Can't argue with that."

* * *

During playtime after the other book and several more songs, Kristin wandered the room, interacting with different children and their caregivers. She reached Angie and Steve who were stacking pretend ice cream scoops on a cone.

"Where's the red one?" Steve asked, holding the cone which already had four scoops on it.

Angie grabbed a red scoop and gave it to him.

"That's it," he said, putting it on the pile. "Good job. How many are on here now? Can you count them? Let's count the ice cream scoops." He pointed as he said, "One, two …"

"One, two, fwee, five!" she said triumphantly.

He chuckled. "You're right, but you missed a number in there. One, two, three, _four_, five," he said.

"One, two, fwee, fo', five," she repeated, even as she was grabbing more ice cream to put on top of the cone.

"No Catherine today?" Kristin asked as she knelt beside them.

"She had a meeting," Steve said, adjusting the scoop that Angie had hurriedly put on the cone in his hand in her haste to grab more.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to make it." She smiled. "And I know Angie is thrilled to have you here. A little daddy/daughter trip to storytime."

"Daddy 'toryti'," Angie echoed, smiling at him.

"You know I still remember the first storytime you ever came to with your niece," Kristin said. "Gosh, what would that be? Five years ago?"

"Yeah, about that long," Steve replied as Angie took the cone from him and the ice cream scoops toppled off.

"Uh oh!" she said. "Daddy ouse cweam faw."

"They did fall," he said. "Let's stack 'em again, huh?"

" 'Tack dem 'gain," she repeated and immediately set to work, holding the cone herself this time.

"You weren't quite such an active participant back them," Kristin continued with a grin. "Except maybe with the sky blossom."

He smiled in acknowledgement, thinking of the parachute activities during storytime with Catherine and Joan.

"But I could tell you had it in you," Kristin said. "The fact that you came at all spoke volumes." She smiled. "I had a feeling I'd be seeing you again."

He paused thoughtfully, remembering the not-quite conversation about starting a family that he and Catherine had had that evening after storytime with Joan.

He looked at Angie who was happily counting ice cream scoops with a toddler's adorable inaccuracy and smiled. "You know something?" he said, his words directed at Kristin but his eyes stayed on Angie. "I think I did, too."

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**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Book:**

_Will Bear Share?_ by Hilary Leung (Cartwheel Books, 2018)

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